Updates on all

Ok, yes, I have Fifth's Disease. What is a mild virus in a child produces weeks of massive joint pain and fatigue in adults. Ouch!

We had the funeral for Grandma Ruth yesterday. It was a very long weekend...

To refresh: I got sick before last weekend, and spent the entire snow-storm in bed, fever and exhaustio, etc.

Tuesday morning I went in for blood work, which I did not get back until late last night.

Wednesday after school, we took the boys to Sturbridge and gave them to my dad. Then we returned home with Sofia. I felt horrible, but eventually we went to dinner with friends and hung at their house all evening (since David was upset that we didn't go to NYC).

Thursday morning we hung out at home, relaxing and puttering. David hooked up the 5disc changer to the downstairs TV, so now we can watch DVDs downstairs. I made dinner, and we were watching "Fiddler on the Roof"...

...when David's mom called to say his grandmother was on her way to the hospital. About 45 minutes later it was confirmed, she'd passed away.

Commence funeral prep. We had to pack, and figure out what our job would be (food for shiva) and comfort his sister and cousi and notify lots of people.

Friday we eventually got the car loaded and left here areoun 1:00. Got to my sister's house at 3, in time to watch "Mama Mia" (which was really funny and cute!). Then we pulled the boys aside to tell them about Grandma. Sammy started to cry softly, while Micah said "Oh no! Can we not talk about this?"

Dinner at my sister's house, then back to sleep at my parents'. Saturday morning we took all the kids (including my nieces) to shul.

In the afternoon, the 4 ig kids hung out watching TV at my parents', David took Sofia to see his other grandmother, and I ran errands and had my nails done.

Just as we were getting ready to go meet my sister and BIL for dinner, David's mom called, falling apart, so he went over there instead to help set up. They went through lots of photos.

The boys slept at my sister's, and Sunday we left Sofia with my parents while we went to The Crown to get the food platters. Got everything set up at Grandma's house, waited for family friend to come stay at the house, and headed off for the cemetary.

LOTS of people showed up! The rabbi was running late, so we were there a long time. The ceremony was lovely. Since it was both Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh (New Month), both usually joyous occasions, the rabbi was able to show how appropriate it was to have Ruth's funeral on that day. Every time her name was mentioned, the sun burst through the clouds - that was very funny!

I was proud of the boys. Micah knew exactly what part he didn't want to see (the casket being lowered into the ground), and stayed through much of the rabbi's talk before he walked away. Sam, on the other hand, stayed through everything and did several rounds of shoveling (Jewish custom is to bury the dead, literally).

Back to the house, where not as many people came (the non-Jewish friends and relatives had holiday parties to get back to), but we still had quite a crowd.

My family took the kids back with them, so David and I were able to stay all afternoon through the evening shiva minyan without dealing with them. We left grandma's at 9, left my parents' before 10:30, and made it home by midnight.

I'm SOOOO tired! And my hands are killing me. I keep losing feeling in my fingers, which is making everything very tough.

Baruch Dayan HaEmet

David's maternal grandmother, Ruth (Mussman) Rubenstein, passed away this evening. She's been having some health issues, but nothing in particular. She just didn't feel well, and then she died.

The funeral is on Sunday, graveside in New Britain CT. David's mom decided they want donations to go to the National Down Syndrome Congress, 1370 Center Drive, Suite 102,
Atlanta, GA 30338

Out of Bed, Finally

Whew, what a weekend! My fever continued, and after David got the driveway cleared on Sunday (we had lots of snow), I made it over to the new MinitClinic at CVS. Turns out I did indeed have an ear infection, so she put me on Zithromax.

But fever continued, up and down, all weekend. I could not get out of bed! At least it was a snowy weekend and no one was going anywhere. David had to deal with the kids - that was interesting to listen to. At one point he was yelling at Sofia because she kept saying "poop" but refusing to go on the potty. I had to remind him that she's 3.

Monday wasn't any better. At least Sofia's school was canceled, so she stayed hoe with me and watched plenty of (educational!) TV while I slept. David took the boys to school, and I got one of the moms to drive them home. I couldn't move.

Today is only a little better. Fever is lower (still not gone), but every joint in my body aches. I drove the boys to school, then went to my doctor's office (finally!). They did a full blood workup, so we'll see - she thinks it's some virus, but couldn't quite tell what, because I have so many different symptoms.

This is NOT fun! This afternoon is busy - I had to move Micah's appointments from yesterday to todya, so we've got his therapy, then his Tae Kwan Do test, then piano lesson, then his TKD class, then Sam's (at least piano is in the same building).

Wishing you all Happy Holidays. The kids have been really peased with their gitfts so far, which is nice because I kept things very simple this year. Sammy got Hanukah socks, which he loved. Micah got a little portable sparkle-lamp, and he walks around with it. Last night Sofia got her "big" present, a wooden Shabbat set



She loves it! Squealed with delight, and said "challah" very clearly. "Lights" the candles, tried to put one out in the wine (like Havdalah). "Cuts" the challah very carefully.

Fever

Well, this has been interesting. I've been popping high fevers since Wednesday afternoon. Today I clocked in at 103.2. No other symptoms. Just fever.

David's been great. Thursday, after I got up and took a shower and climbed back in bed wrapped in a towel, he took all the kids to school. He checks on me every couple of hours at night and brings me tylenol.

At least it's snowing now, and we're home. No plans until Sunday night. I'm gonna stay in bed most of the time.

Reality vs. Family

Here's the situation in a nutshell: David and I are NOT going to my uncle's house on Christmas, and both my parents, my uncle, and my grandmother (who won't even be there) are furious.

Since David was traveling most of October and November, we decided to try to go to NYC for a few days. We had wanted to stay at our favorite hotel, but it had a 4 night minimum (with very high prices on two of the four nights). So we are staying with my friend R, who lives just outside the city. We will sleep late, relax with her, and go eat at a really nice kosher restaurant in the city on the 25th.

We'll drop the kids off with my parents, and they can all go to my uncle's house for the day.

Why does my uncle celebrate Christmas? My aunt is Catholic, and therefore their kids are Catholic. And don't forget that my grandfather (dad's father) was not Jewish; I spent my childhood going to my grandparents' house for Christmas.

But when Sam was an infant, I took him to my uncle's, and my mother put all his Hanukah gifts under the Christmas tree. And I decided that I wasn't coming back until my kids knew the difference.

So for many years I did not go to my uncle's house on Christmas. We stayed in Massachusetts, getting together with other Jewish friends either at someone's home or at events at shul.

Last year, when Sam was 8 and Micah was 6, David was away in Israel over Christmas week. So I decided I could handle going down to Stamford. I took the three kids, and it was ok.

"OK" means that the kids all had fun, and I was only verbally attacked a few times - once by my grandmother (whom I was able to pull aside and tell how I felt; after I too a walk around the block and called David in Israel).

The verbal attacks mostly come from my mother and my uncle (and on other occasions from my sister, but since she is a doctor she usually works on Christmas). They generally relate to which morsels of food are being placed in my mouth at any given time, along with continuous harangues about exercise and judgment calls about how I should not be involved in so many activities.

Examples:

Grandma's comment as I took ONE cookie from the large tray on the counter was "you don't need that", although it was the first cookie I had taken, after nibbling on three pieces of cheese and chasing Sofia around the house for 3 hours.

Thanksgiving is always unpleasant in this regard, as I can feel my mother's eyes piercing into my skin as I put any food on my plate. My uncle will generally muster a comment; my sister continues to say "you have to exercise" when I attempt to tell her anything else about my life in Massachusetts, and this year, my mother gave a long, distasteful pause and face before deigning to put some mac & cheese in a bowl for me at lunch (I made her put it back, and refused to eat in her home, although it meant having to go get a slice of pizza with my husband - that was the night we went to the wedding in NYC, and dinner was served well after 10pm).

Add to the food and exercise theme the continued belittling of our involvement in Jewish activities like the shul or the day school.

And let's not forget the constant complaining about my husband's travel schedule. "Why doesn't he take a 'real' job?" (Uh, because he would be miserable and earn much less!).

And I get second-hand (via my mother, ever willing to criticize) my sister's horror that I spend "so much time" traveling without my children. My children who I am with almost CONSTANTLY most of the time. She works three days a week, with one night on call, so yes, she doesn't see her kids as much.

So this year it seemed like a great idea to drop the kids off and have a day to ourselves.

Uh-uh.

So far, my uncle's comment at Thanksgiving when I told him the plan was "you can see your friends any time, you'll come to us." (Everyone keeps focusing on the fact that we are staying with a friend; if we were staying alone at a hotel would this be going down differently?)

Then my mother made a gentle attempt: "Family gets together for holidays." When I pointed out that Christmas was not a holiday I wanted to celebrate, she dismissed this, since I'd spent my childhood celebrating it.

Then my grandmother called from Florida: "You're opening a whole can of worms with this not going to P's house."

My mother's comments got more heated, until today when she said: "You're being selfish (a favorite thing to hurl at me; apparently I am the most selfish person in the family). Your father is furious. It's not right. You spend time with family, not friends."

Meanwhile, back in reality, my husband and I are looking forward to getting away for a couple of days, and (yes) visiting R. And NOT being subjected to the constant criticisms of my family.

The funniest part of this is how much better I feel hanging with HIS family. Despite the great amount of dysfunction there, in his family I have a place. I am respected for who I am and what I do. I am not criticised.

Now, how do I communicate this to people who I do love, and who do love me?

Miscellaneous Rambling

So many little details. It was a busy but fun weekend. Friday, Laura dropped off Lilie - I got to keep her overnight! Laura and Travis (the boy, Lilie's father) went to Boston overnight to see Cheech and Chong. While Laura was getting Lilie settled, Travis had to play a game of pool with the boys, and when I lit Shabbos candles, I made him put on a kippa - pretty funny culture shock.

Anyway, they left, and Sofia woke up from her nap to find her beloved little cousin.... touching HER stuff! NOT happy! Miss Sofia became quite territorial that evening. I think she only knocked Lilie over about 4 times; poor kid kept conking her head. Any time I had Lilie in my lap, Sofia would wrestle her way on, too.

Fortunately D&E were over for dinner, so Lilie took well to D when I was too busy to save her. Lilie fell asleep in Sofia's crib, since Sofia had napped a long time. Eventually I moved Lilie to the pack-n-play in the boys' room and put Sofia to sleep in her own room.

Around 11:00, Lilie woke up SCREAMING, and continued for 45 minutes. I helf her, rocked, her, cuddled her. I think she was teething (Laura said she got a new tooth in on Sunday). Then she passed out on my arm, and didn't move until 7am!

David went to NYC with his friend for the weekend, so we said goodbye to him and I bundled all 4 kids in to the car to go to shul. As we were leaving, Laura called to say they had just had a fight and were coming home. Sigh. So they met us at shul. Lilie and Sofia were both playing nicely in babysitting (the sitters had grabbed Lilie right out of my arms!), so I was actually in services by myself (the boys were in the youth service).

My kids and I stayed for lunch, then came home, stopping briefly at the library on the way. I was exhausted, so I attempted to nap, but Sofia really really wanted my attention, and kept pulling at my hair. The boys played for a little while but then camped out in my room complaining that they were bored.

Eventually it was time to do Havdalah, and then we went to the tepanyaki restaurant, Samba, to meet my friend L and her boys (and her husband). The boys then came back to my house for a sleepover. It was great; the boys all watched a movie downstairs, Sofia had already fallen asleep, and I got to watch a movie upstairs (DaVinci Code, finally). They all went to sleep around 9:30, the two older ones downstairs on the pullout couch and the younger ones upstairs in the boys' bedroom. They all had a great time.

In the morning, I found Micah and his friend snuggled on the pullout couch, both playing on Nintendos (they had brought one with them).The older boys were watching a movie again. I made challah french toast (yum), and then K came to get the boys.

Then it was time to take Sam to a K'vutza (youth group) event. There was some confusion, and first I drove to Natick, but the place had moved, so then back to Framingham, where it didn't open until noon and I realized everyone else was meeting at the shul. Sigh. But eventually they all came over.

I took Micah and Sofia for a bit of shopping. Micah's favorite "zippy" pants had rips all the way up the legs; time to retire them. He is VERY difficult to shop for/with, because he is quite picky about clothing, but eventually he got two nice pairs of pants and a pair of sweats at Kohls, along with cool Mario Brothers pajamas.

I got a call from one of the moms at the youth event, asking if she could take Sam back to her house for a playdate with her son, since both boys were getting along really well. Sure. So I took the little ones home, put Sofia in front of "Madagascar" again, let Micah playon the Nintendo, and I finally began writing my paper for school!

Got a decent draft done and sent it off to my professor to see if it was anything viable (last night in class he said it looked fine). Whew. Now I have to finish it.

Let's see, in other thoughts...

So last night at Hebrew College, I noticed that nearly every student is female. I know that's not totally true, but the evening students are overwhelmingly female. It makes for a very interesting dynamic. I feel safe and supported there.

Oh, Micah'ism of the week, involving a bit of a story. I am taking Sammy to go visit my grandmother in January, and yesterday I finally made the reservations (we leave Jan 1. in the evening, and come home on the 6th). In the car on the way home from picking up the boys, I told them about it. Micah asked if I was going to take him anywhere.

I said I was thinking of taking him down to Florida in March. He said "No, I don't want to go to Florida, I want to go somewhere else." So I asked him where...

"I was thinking Ohio."

Not quite sure WHAT he wanted to do in Ohio. Now he's branched off into far-away places (Israel and Australia top his list). So I'm trying to come up with some ideas. I don't mind NOT taking him to Grandma's (although I would really love to take him there), but I do want to take him somewhere for a few days, just to have some 1:1 time with him. Suggestions? I'm considering Chicago or NYC or DC, but somewhere smaller might be better.

Chelm Hanukah

Sam's class presents a skit about the fools of Chelm.

Gala 2008

The boys' school holds a Winter Lights Gala as a fund raiser every year. It's a fancy party, with honorees and performances and a silent auction and raffle baskets and lots of good food. This year, several of the students from Sam's class spoke, too - including Sammy!

It was a busy day. First I had a Zamir Chorale alumni event to attend - it was nice to see old friends, and one friend was being honored for 36 years with the choir.

Then I raced over to Wayland, to meet David and Sam at the synagogue where the Gala was being held. They were already in their suits, I had to change in the bathroom (along with the event committee ladies).



The kids had a rehearsal first, and then had fun running around the party.

Sam with two friends:


Dress Rehearsal:




At the party:



The Boys:



Proud Mama with Son:


I am a performer. I get up and speak or sing in front of people a lot. And I am usually never nervous. But for my KID, I was a wreck! It's been a tough week, because he got spacers on his teeth Wednesday, and that makes it even tougher to speak. But he practiced all weekend, and it was beautiful.

Here is Sam's group giving their speeches. Sam is third, he was the last kid to speek.




Here is an extended video. This includes Dress Rehearsal, a portion of the speeches by the Gala Chair and the Head of School, and all the kids' speeches/performances.


I am so proud of him!

The Power of the Flame

It was a lovely Shabbat, and I find myself reflecting on the power of the Flame in our tradition.

[First, a quick overview for those who may be unfamiliar with Jewish tradition: The Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew, Shabbos in Yiddish) begins at sundown on Friday evening every week, and continues until after sundown on Saturday evening. The holy day begins with the lighting of candles - some light 2 candles, some light as many candles as there are people in the family. A special blessing is recited: "Blessed Are You, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the lights of the Shabbath." The tradition is for the person lighting the candles to wave the hands over the candles three time s before reciting the blessing, like gathering the light into your face, ushering in the warmth and peace of the Sabbath.

Shabbat morning, we spend at the synagogue [shul]. In our shul, we frequently stay for lunch. THe afternoon is a time to relax and be with family and friends. No work is to be done on Shabbat.

The end of Shabbat is also marked with flame. The Havdalah service is a very short {one page] service performed in the home {or wherever you happen to be at the end of Shabbat - Havdalah at camp is particularly lovely, especially beside a lake!}. The Havdalah servcie includes 3 items - a braided candle, a cup of wine (or grape juice), and a box of spices. Blessings are said over each of these. At the end of the ceremony, it is customary to extinguish the candle in the wine, for a sweet week.]

Ok. refresher course over. Now, my own experience. I love lighting the candles on Friday evening. Last year, David got me these really cool glass "candles" in Israel. They have a special wick, and I use liquid parafin to fill them. They are lovely. I light Shabbos candles at the counter between the kitchen and family room. The kids can stand on the couch in the family room and face the candles, and I stand in the kitchen, facing them.

Sofia loves helping light the candles. She runs to get a kippah (yarmulka, traditional head covering. We have a huge basket full of them!) for everyone (it is traditional to cover the head). She races up to the couch. She covers her eyes, and chants "Baaaaaa" (liek the opening word, "Baruch").

After I light candles, I give each kid a blessing. Micah tends to run away; it is common for kids his age to not want to participate in this. But both Sam and Sofia love getting their blessings. The blessing is similar for both, a combination of the Priestly Three-Fold blessing ("may the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his countenance to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, may the Lord shine his countenance upon you and grant you love and peace."), followed by "may G-d make you like Ephraim and Menassah [for boys - Joseph's sons]/ Sarah Rebecca, Rachel and Leah [for girls - the Matriarchs]". I place my hands on their head and whisper these blessings in Hebrew to them, and I can use this moment to share some private thoughts with each kid.

I love seeing their faces over the candles. I love giving them their blessings (I "throw" a blessing to Micah).

Friday night we went to our friend's house for dinner. Sofia was really tired; I ended up bringing her home early, but since David had met us there after work, he and the boys got to stay and play a bit more.

Saturday morning we went to shul, and it was a special "Camp Shabbat". Instead of using the sanctuary, there was an adult service upstairs in the large classroom, and a kid-friendly service in the Social Hall, lead by one of the directors of Camp Ramah, one of the many wonderful Jewish overnight camps in the area. Sam will be going there next summer!

After services and lunch, there was programming for kids in grades 3-6. Sam had a lot of fun. Micah went home with another friend for a play date. David chased Sofia around the shul for a while (she knows A LOT of hiding places!). I finally had to drive them home and then race back for Sam. I was also in charge of one of his classmates. The program ended a bit early (not as many kids stayed for the afternoon as they had thought). I took the classmate, a girl, back to our house for a while because she likes to play with Sofia. The girls played, Sam went next door to play with his friend for a while. I left Sam there and took the two girls to pick up Micah. Then I called Sam and his friend back over for ice cream and Havdalah.

It was just me and the 5 kids (David had of course gone in to the office for a while). I really loved standing at the table with them, looking at their faces while they watched the flames from the candle. We turn off all the lights in the house while we do Havdalah, so the flame is the only light.

Their eyes were all shining. Their faces were bright with the excitement (and fueled by the sugar in the small ice cream sundaes, too!). They all "got it", how special this moment was, marking the transition from sacred time to "normal" time.

I love this!

Just for fun

A light-hearted email I just received (for the umpteenth time):

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time. [That's one smart kid!]
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she 's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

The Awesome Responsibility

I forget, sometimes, how incredibly important "First Call" really is.

What is First Call? The Mass Down Syndrome Congress sponsors a First Call program. But essentially, it means setting up new parents with experienced parents within the DS community.

There are so many questions a new parent may have. Some are standard, some are situation-specific.

I set up my own "First Call" contact - 30 seconds after I got the call from the doctor with my amnio result, I called J to set up a meeting with her for the next day. I was lucky, I already knew someone with a child with DS.

Many parents do not know anyone with DS, which is where First Call becomes so vital. It doesn't have to be through a formal program. Massachusetts is fortunate to HAVE such a program, but there are informal ways to do it. I was also "set up" with my friend D via mutual friends in Florida. D has become a dear close friend over these 4 years. She also provided me with something most other DS family could not - a look into raising a child with DS within the Jewish community.

Ok, why am I blathering on about this? Yesterday, I was privileged to be quoted on Pam's blog, Rhett's Journey. Whenever a blog gets a link, more people find their way over. So I had some new readers yesterday (welcome, all!).

Anyway, mid-afternoon, I got an email from a nice lady with a 4 month old (Hi M!). We started the usual chatting (her daughter is facing heart surgery next week). But then she asked a most touching question:

since K. is only 4months and this DS world is new to us......
from one jewish mom to another....
what are the realistic views of her being bat mitzvahed ?

I nearly burst into tears. I had forgotten the feeling of the unknown that a new mom experiences. What will my child's life be like?

Of course I emailed her immediately with all my positive reassurances. But I was struck breathless with the need for her to hear the encouraging side to this whole situation. I have grown accustomed to saying "Sofia WILL do...." everything. But I forgot what it is like to really have no idea what the possibilities are.

Thank you, M, for your incredibly touching question, and for giving me the opportunity to answer it.

(FYI, as we are gearing up to start planning Sam's Bar Mitzvah in a few years, I am already thinking ahead to Sofia's Bat Mitzvah, too!).


Oh, a quote from Micah: as The Nutcracker began on Sunday, he perked up and said "Hey, I know this music! Wasn't it written by...Van Gogh?" ("I thought I heard it on Little Einsteins").

Fun but busy Thanksgiving Weekend 2008

Whew! What a weekend! And it started Tuesday...

Tuesday afternoon, since Micah's piano teacher was out of the country anyway, we decided to skip Tae Kwan Do. At dinner, we had a guest from Israel, a fellow David works with. It was a very nice evening, but busy with the kids. R sent David a lovely email the next day:

I keep telling everyone that I was hypnotized by the children. Rarely does one see such intelligence, concentration and discipline.

My Kids? :)

The boys had a half day on Wednesday, so David picked up Sofia and met us at home for lunch. Sam had a guitar lesson, and then my friend C came over with her boys. Micah worships the older one (age 11) because he's a Nintendo kid, and Sam and the younger are only a few months apart and dear friends. All the boys had fun. Her husband and David finally showed up and we had a yummy dinner - ribs! (beef, lamb, and veal).

Thursday morning the kids watched the Parade on TV while I packed. We left at noon, got to my sister's at 2:00. The kids played and played with my nieces, and had even more fun when my cousins arrived - my cousin Paul is 30 and SO much fun to be with!

Sofia all dressed up:


David and my BIL:


Sofia and Pop (my dad):


Sam:


Sofia finds the computer:


Micah on the swingset:


Sofia hanging around:


Micah and Julia give Sofia a lift:


It was a fairly fun day, not too many nasty comments in any direction. Just the usual weird personalities. And David and I kept checking the updates fro Mumbai - sigh. What a horrible tragedy.

We slept over at their house - Sofia was all riled up, and running up and down the hallway screaming like a banshee.

Friday morning my sister dragged me to the gym, then we took the kids to see "Bolt". It was a bit violent, I thought, and Sofia was scared of the before-movie onscreen stuff, like the "shush your phone" message. But she liked the puppy!

Then it was time to head to David's grandmother's house for dinner with the Rothkopf clan. My MIL had made all the food and put it in the fridge; it was up to me, Laura, and cousin Heather to warm it all up on Grandma's tiny stove.

Sam was in a miserable mood, because he wanted to stay with his other cousins (Hannah and Julia, my sister's twins), but MIcah had fun playing with H's son Alex, and Sofia kept tackling "her" baby Lilie.

Heather and Ian:


Sofia in "command central", with Lilie, Micah and Alex, along with Gradnma Toby's nurse, Shirley:


We got back to my sister's at 9:00. Back to the gym in the morning, then we took our kids and Julia to my mom's (Hannah had rehearsal). I got my nails done (I got Tips! Very cool!), and we got dressed up and picked up David's parents and the 4 of us drove to Flushing NY for the wedding of a family friend, Sol.

Sol's wife passed away about 18 months ago; she had been my MIL's best friend. Their daughters are like cousins to David and Heather. It was a bit surreal (lots of interesting personalities), but we had a lot of fun.

Me, all dressed up:


David and his father:


Is it just a wee bit odd that I look like my MIL?


My inlaws, giggling:


We didn't get back to my mom's house (after dropping off my inlaws) until 3:30 am. Of course, I slept in the car, but poor David had to stay up.

Wait, the weekend's not done yet! Sunday my niece Hannah danced in The Nutcracker. David stayed at the house with Sofia, and I went with the boys and my parents. It was lovely.

Some shots of Hannah:


Hannah with The Nutcracker:


Sammy and Hannah:



Whew! We went to dinner with them (Sofia would not even LOOK at my sister all weekend!), and got home around 10pm. Thankfully the boys did not have school on Monday (professional development day), so we could relax.